Racket for tennis and like games



March 12 1940- E. H. AUBERT 2,193,526

RACKET FOR l@TENNIS AND LIKELGAMES A Filed oct. 51, 193s "llllll/ Patented Mar. 12, 1940 s PATENT v,ol-"'ricE bers, adapted to be slidden along the frame by the rear end of the handle. The extensions Ia 5 means of an operating device mounted in the and the part 2 are assembled by cementing and/or throat piece of the racket and adapted to exert by screws. Atthe exterior and on either side of a traction upon these two bands or like memthe throat piece 2 and the extensions Ia are cebers, tostretch or slacken the string network. mented, in the known manner, reinforcing plates Rackets of this type are known in which said 4 (Fig. 4) consisting of wood, the fibres of which 10 bands or like members are flexible over their are perpendicular or oblique tothe libres of the entire length and said operating device is conparts whichthey cover. Moreover, a curved piece stituted for example by a screw having two parts 5 is cemented, for reinforcing purposes, in the threaded in contrary directions and screwed into interior of the frame adjacent `the throat-piece.

two nuts connected to the bands or like members On either side of the throat-piece 2 and sub- 1Q and slidably guided within a transverse aperture stantially as faras the transverse axis of the of the throat-piece of the racket. In `this arframe, the said frame I is provided on its outer rangement said nuts are liable to wedge in said face with a groove 6 (Figs. 1, 2, 3). On either transverse aperture thereby preventing their free side of the groove 5 the outer face of the frame sliding in said aperture. provides bearing surfaces l which are bounded y20 The present invention has for its object to laterally by strips 8 (Fig. 3) which are separately provide a racket of the above-mentioned general secured to the outer face of the frame. The type and improved to ensure a better sliding of throat piece 2 is provided with a transverse aperthe bands along the frame. According to the inture or passage 9, of rectangular cross section,

vention, each of the iiexible bands or like memthrough which extend the groove 6 and the bear- 25 bers supporting the string network comprises at ing surfaces 'I at 6a and la. its end adjacent the throat piece of the racket a The bearing surfaces l, la, which are situated rigid circularly curved shoe of relatively great on either side of the groove 6, ISa have from A to length and the frame isformed with a. corre- B, i. e., in the passage 9 and in the adjacent parts sponding circular surface having the same radius of the frame I, the form of a circular arc whose 30 and against which bears said shoe, the operating centre is situated at 0 on the longitudinal axis device acting upon the free ends of the two shoes. XX of the racket.

Owing to the fact that the shoes are in con- The frame I and the throat piece 2, together tact with the frame over a relatively great length, with the curved piece 5, are pierced with holes I 0.

they are suitably guided and any danger of wedg- On the bearing surfaces l, la is slidable, on 35 ing is eliminated. The tractive force to be exerted either side of the axis XX, `a traction band I2 by the operating device is thus greatly reduced which is adapted to support a considerable tenfor a given tension of the network. sion stress (1000 to 1500 kgs. per sq. cm. for in- In the accompanying drawing, which is given stance). The two bands I2 may consist, for exsolely by way of example: ample, of steel of a great tensile strength, and 40 Fig. 1 is a partial view of a racket according they are suiiiciently flexible to t without diffito the invention, with the network slackened, and culty upon the curved part of the frame. The rshowing a longitudinal section of the frame on a bands I2 are provided with perforations I3 (Figs. level with the network; 4 and 5) which are formed by a partial punching Fig. 2 is a similar partial section with the netof lugs which are bent around at I4 and are lo- 45 work stretched; c'ated'in the grooves 6, 6a in which they are slid- Fig. 3 is an enlarged section of the frame on 1 able. It should be noted that the said lugs It may' the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; be eliminated, and in this case small `grooveol Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section of pulleys will be mounted on the small bars left the throat piece, on the line :1 -4 of Fig. 1; in the bands I2 between the perforations I3. 50'

Fig. 5 is a partial longitudinal section on the In the part adjacent the throat piece, each line 5-5 of Fig. 6, of one of the shoes and of a band I2 comprises ashoe I5 having the shape portion of the corresponding flexible band; of an arc of the same radius R as the part AB Fig. 6 is a corresponding plan View. of the bearing surfaces l, la, so that this shoe According to the embodiment illustrated, the I5 ,may bear over its whole length upon these 55 UNITED STATE RACKET FOR TENNIS AND LIKE GAMES Seine, Seine, France Application October 31, 1938, Serial No. 238,089` In France November 5, 1937 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to rac-kets for tennis and like games, of the type in which the string network is supported by two opposed supple or articulated flexible bands or like meminvention is supposed to be applied to a racket having a wooden frame and handle. The frame I extends at Ia to the end of the handle. An axial part 2 forming the throat piece also extends to two sL rfaces on either side of the groove 6 or 6a. Each of the shoes I5 is rigid, and it consists preferably of an enlarged end of the band l2, this end being bent into a U shape (Figs. 4, 5, 6).

Both iianges of each rigid shoes i5 are pierced with an aperture I6, in which is engaged a cylinder il having a diametrical tapped hole i8 and thus forming a nut. The two nuts Il are screwed on two parts i9 and |93, threaded in contrary directions of an operating screw, said screw 'being located in the passage il. The screw (ill, lili) has at one end a square part 29, male or female, by

which it can be turned by a lwrench 2i (Fig. 2)

A central collar 2E. separates the two parts l@ and v i Se threaded in contrary directions.

The network which is carried by the frame and is stretched across the saine, consists of a single flexible string 23 (of catgut, cord or wire) which is mounted in zigzag according to two inclined directions which are symmetrical with reference to the longitudinal axis XY of the racket, the two ends or" the flexible string being connected by a knot. At one end of each zigzag, the two strands of the flexible string, forming a loop, are inserted through two respective adjacent holes I0 in the frame i; at the other end of each zigzag, the two strands `forming the succeeding loop are inserted not only through two adjacent holes i8 in the frame i, but also through two adjacent perforations i3 in one of the two flexible bands l2.

The stretching is effected by turning the screw (i9, Ilia) in the proper direction to bring the two nuts I'I nearer to the longitudinal axis AA or" the racket, which nuts will take the position shown in Fig. 2, drawing with them the shoes I5 which are always in close contact with the curved surfaces l' and/ or la, and the said shoes, in turn, will drawn the flexible bands i2 in the direction of the arrows f1 and f2 (Fig. 2). The perforations i3 of these bands will thus be displaced with reference to the perfor-ations lli of the frame i, thus lengthening the loops of the network 23 which are formed around the lugs lll. The lengthening is accompanied by the general and simultaneous stretching of the entire network 23.

In order to slacken the said network, it is simply necessary to turn the screw (I9, ISE) in the other direction, in order to separatethe nuts il and hence the shoes l5.

It should be noted that owing to the fact that the nuts il rotate in the shoes l5, these latter will not be subjected to any lateral stress, and will remain in close contact with the curved surfaces l and/or la.

As will be observed, the entire operating device is simple and light, and is very easy-working, as there is no effect of wedging in the passage 9.

Owing to the invention, it is possible to give very great tensions to the network, with great facility.

However, in the case of the utilization of the maximum tensions which can be thus obtained, in order to prevent the network from possibly cutting into the frame at the bottoni of the groove after a time, it is of advantage to cement on the bottom of this groove i5 a thin strip provided with perforations adjacent the holes i8 and consisting of wood with cross grain, or of any other non-fibrous material synthetic or the like.

Obviously, the said invention is not limited. to the embodiment herein described and represented, which is given solely by way of example. The bands i2 might be replaced by chains or by any other flexible or jointed supporting members.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

i. A, racket for tennis or like games, comprising an open frame with handle, a string network stretched across said frame, two ilexible metallic bands bearing ilatwise on said frame and positioned symmetrically with respect to the longit "nal axis thereof, said 'bands having one end adjacent said handle and being adapted to support said network and to slide along the frame, each of said bands comprising at said one end a rigid circularly curved shoe, said frame being formed with a similarly curved bearing surface for each shoe, and means attached to the free end of each shoe and adapted to exert a traction upon said bands to slide them along the frame, whereby said network can be stretched or slackened at will.

2. A racket for tennis or like games, comprising an open frame with handle, a string network stretched across said frame, two flexible metallic bands bearing fiatwise on said frame and positioned symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis thereof, said bands having one end adjacent said handle and being adapted to support said network and to slide along the frame, each of said flexible bands including at said one end a portion having a greater width than the remainder of the band and the lateral edge portions of which are turned at right angles to the band to form a rigid shoe which is U-shaped in cross section, said shoe being circularly curved in the longitudinal direction, a nut rotatably supl ported at the free end of said shoe between said upturned edge portions, said frame being formed with a curved bearing surface for each shoe having the same radius as the shoe, and a screw having two parts threaded in contrary directions, each of which is screwed into one nut.

EMILE HENRI AUBERT. 

